Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Wrote important works like "Julie, ou la nouvelle Heloïse",
Confessions, Reveries of a Solitary Walker and "Émile: or, On
Education".

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was an influential Genevan
philosopher, writer, and composer of 18th-century Romanticism. His
political philosophy deeply influenced the major revolutions like the
French Revolution and the American Revolution. He was also responsible
for the overall development of
modern political, sociological and educational thought. His immensely
popular sentimental novel, "Julie, ou la nouvelle Heloïse", was of great
importance to the development of pre-romanticism and romanticism in
fiction. His political works like, "Discourse on the Origin of
Inequality" and "On the Social Contract" are cornerstones in modern
political and social thought and are inspirational for democratic
government and social empowerment. He also made important contributions
to music as a theorist. In 1794, sixteen years after his death, Rousseau
was interred as a national hero in the Pantheon in Paris. His other
important works include "Confessions", "Reveries of a Solitary Walker"
and "Émile: or, On Education".

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Childhood and Early life

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born on June 28, 1712 in Geneva. His
father, Isaac Rousseau, a watchmaker by profession was a well educated
man with love for music. His mother, Suzanne Bernard Rousseau was the
daughter of a Calvinist preacher. She died just nine days after his birth
due to puerperal fever. Rousseau was only ten, when his father got into
a legal quarrel with a wealthy landowner, who accused him of
trespassing into his properties. His father moved away to Nyon in the
territory of Bern, taking along Rousseau's aunt Suzanne with him.
Rousseau was left with his maternal uncle, who sent him with a Calvinist
minister in a hamlet outside Geneva for two years. He was accompanied
by his maternal uncle’s son Abraham Bernard. During his stay at the
hamlet, young Rousseau studied mathematics and drawing. He was deeply
influenced by the religious service and for a while had ambitions of
becoming a Protestant minister.

At the age of 15, Rousseau ran away from Geneva and took shelter with a Roman Catholic priest
in adjoining Savoy. The priest introduced him to Françoise-Louise de
Warens, a noblewoman of Protestant background. She was a professional
lay proselytizer and was paid by the King of Piedmont to help bring
Protestants to Catholicism. Rousseau was sent to Turin, to complete his
conversion into Catholicism. Renounced by his father and uncle, he had
no one to take care of him. He supported himself by working as a
servant, secretary, and tutor, wandering in Italy and France. During
this time he partly stayed with De Warens, whom he idolized and called
his "maman". Pleased by his devotion, she tried to get him started in a
profession. It is even said that, Rousseau briefly attended a seminary
to become a priest. It was believed that when he turned 20, the
relationship between him and De Warens turned into a romantic one. De
Warens always remained a great influence in his life; she belonged to a
circle of educated members of the Catholic clergy and introduced him to
the world of letters and ideas. During his 20s, he studied philosophy,
mathematics, and music. In 1737, he received a small portion of his
mother’s inheritance, partly used it to repay De Warens for her
financial support. In 1739, he took a tutor job in Lyon.

Career and Works

In the year 1742, Rousseau moved to Paris to present his new system of numbered musical notation
to the Académie des Sciences. This system was proposed to be compatible
with typography, and was based on a single line, displaying numbers
representing intervals between notes and dots and commas indicating
rhythmic values. The Academy considered it impractical and rejected it.
For the next two years from 1743-1744, he worked as a secretary to the
Comte de Montaigue, the French ambassador to Venice. He was ill-paid on
this post which made him to quit it and return to Paris. In Paris,
Rousseau fell in love with Thérèse Levasseur, a pretty seamstress and
started supporting her big family. During this period, he became a close
friend of French philosopher Diderot and started writing articles on
music in 1749. In 1750, Rousseau wrote “Discourse on the Arts and
Sciences” which gained him significant fame. In 1754, Rousseau returned
to Geneva, reconverted to Calvinism and regained his official Genevan
citizenship. The next year he completed his second major work, the
“Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality Among Men”.

In 1761, Rosseau published a massive 800-page novel, “Julie, ou la
nouvelle Héloïse” which proved to be immensely successful. The ecstatic
descriptions of Swiss natural beauty in the book was liked and
appreciated by masses. The next year in 1762, Rousseau published “Du
Contrat Social, Principes du droit politique”. Later in May, he
published “Emile: or, On Education”. The religious comments in these
books turned both Protestant and Catholic authorities offensive towards
him. His books were banned from France and Geneva. He was publicly
condemned by the Archbishop of Paris, his books were burned, and
warrants were issued for his arrest. Some of his former friends such as
Jacob Vernes of Geneva didn’t accept his views and wrote violet
rebuttals. Rousseau who thought of defending the religion was fiercely
opposed and had to flee to avoid arrest. With the help of his powerful
friends, Duc of Luxembourg and Prince de Conti, he flees to Neuchâtel, a
Canton of the Swiss Confederation. They also help to distribute his
banned books in France, disguised as other works using false covers and
title pages.

During his exile, Rosseau stayed in the town of Môtiers, where he
sought and found protection under Lord Keith. In Môtiers, he wrote the
“Constitutional Project for Corsica”. On the night of September 6, 1765,
his house in Môtiers was stoned
and he had to take refuge in Great Britain with British philosopher
David Hume. Hume helped him to find lodgings at a friend's country
estate in Wootton in Staffordshire. Although he was officially barred
from entering France before 1770, he returned to France in 1767 using a
false name. It was believed that the next year in 1768, Rosseau sort of
married Thérèse. This marriage was considered illegitimate as marriages
between Catholics and Protestants were illegal. In 1770, Rosseau was
allowed to enter Paris on a condition that he wouldn’t publish any
books. In 1772, he was invited to present recommendations for a new
constitution for the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, hence making
“Considerations on the Government of Poland” his last major political
work. In 1776, Rosseau finished “Dialogues: Rousseau Judge of
Jean-Jacques” and started writing, the “Reveries of the Solitary
Walker”. In last years of his life, Rosseau returned to copying music,
spending his leisure time in the study of botany to support himself.

Death

Rosseau suffered a hemorrhage and died on 2nd July, 1778, at the
age of 66. He was initially buried at Ermenonville on the Ile des
Peupliers. In 1794, his remains were moved to the Panthéon in Paris.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Timeline:

1712: Was born in Geneva.

1727: He ran away from Geneva and took shelter with a Roman Catholic priest in Savoy.

1737: Received a small portion of his mother’s inheritance.

1739: Took a tutor job in Lyon.

1742: Moved to Paris.

1743-1744: Worked as a secretary to the Comte de Montaigue, the French ambassador to Venice.

1750: Wrote “Discourse on the Arts and Sciences”.

1754: Returned to Geneva, reconverted to Calvinism and regained his official Genevan citizenship.